This week's episode of Grey's Anatomy will be all about Derek (Patrick Dempsey). For one, Mer (Ellen Pompeo) is still out of commission, supposedly recovering from the liver transplant operation for daddy not-so-dearest. He'll even be doing the voiceover! Can you already imagine it? But won't we miss Meredith's sultry words of wisdom?

Some spoilers under the cut.

The episode of Grey's itself is Derek-centric. The patient of the week, sort of, is one of their own, lab-tech Isaac who has an inoperable tumor surrounding his spine. Most of the Seattle Grace doctors are (perhaps wrongly) happy about the tumor. Bailey (Chandra Wilson) even calls it "the great white of tumors" (like the shark) and it's for tumors like these that she went into medicine. She said whoever can successfully remove something like it can successfully retire, and it would been the landmark of his or her career.

Unfortunately, the chief (James Pickens, Jr.) has other things in mind. The two have really been bickering a lot lately, and the Chief doesn't want Derek to go anywhere near the tumor because it is largely inoperable. But we know how stubborn Derek can be, and from the looks of things, he'll try to still proceed with the operation with the Chief's permission.

That being said, if things go wrong (and they can), I'm pretty sure it's goodbye Derek; on the other hand, if things go right and the operation is successful, he'd have one over the chief. So on this Chief-Derek showdown, which side are on? And on this to operate or not to operate conundrum which side are you leaning to? Post your comments below!